Test Cricket
Fernandes was part of the West Indian side which toured England in 1928. After the success of their 1923 tour, three of the matches were granted Test status. The team played 30 first-class matches, but in contrast to their previous tour, they won just five of them. Altham and Swanton describe the side as being "substantially less formidable combination than the West Indies of '23." The touring side lacked a regular wicket-keeper, and as a result Fernandes and the West Indian captain Karl Nunes shared the duties, though Nunes kept in all three Tests. Both were expensive on occasion: against Ireland, Fernandes allowed 25 byes in one innings, and Nunes the same number against Nottinghamshire. Fernandes' batting was significantly less effective than it had been five years before; he passed fifty on only three occasions, making 73 against both Ireland, and Cambridge University, and 54 against Middlesex. He played in the first Test match, the West Indies' first appearance in Test cricket, facing England at Lord's. Batting at number three in each innings, he scored a duck in the first, and eight runs in the second after the West Indies had been forced to follow-on. England won the match by an innings and 58 runs. Fernandes played 20 of the first-class matches in the tour, and scored 581 runs at an average of 18.15.
During the 1929 Inter-Colonial Tournament, Fernandes made the highest score of his first-class career during a seven-day match against Barbados. After the early dismissal of captain Maurice Green, Fernandes joined Jeremy McKenzie at the crease. The pair added 177 runs for the second wicket before McKenzie was run out for 74. Fernandes then shared another century partnership with Frank de Caires, before being dismissed for 141. British Guiana won the match by 391 runs to progress to the final, in which they faced Trinidad. Fernandes scored half-centuries in both innings of the final, scoring 88 runs in the first and 54 runs in the second to help his side to a four wicket victory.
Early the following year, a weakened English cricket team toured the West Indies, playing four Tests and eight other first-class matches. Fernandes captained British Guiana in both of their matches against the MCC, each of which was lost by an innings. Generally, the West Indies named a different captain for each of their home matches, commonly selecting a player from the host colony for the honour due to financial constraints. Fernandes was chosen as captain for the Test played at Bourda, Georgetown, British Guiana. The first two Tests had resulted in a draw and an English victory. Fernandes won the toss and elected to bat first. Clifford Roach and Errol Hunte opened the batting for the West Indies and scored 144 runs together for the opening partnership before Hunte was out for 53. George Headley then joined Roach at the crease, and the pair took the score onto 336 before Roach was dismissed after reaching his double century. Fernandes and Headley took the score up to 400, of which Fernandes added 22. The remaining batsmen were dismissed for a combined 71; Headley scored a century and the West Indies were all out for 471. The England team was then bowled out for 145, a first innings deficit of 326. Despite the healthy lead, Fernandes chose not to enforce the follow-on, and the West Indies batted again to score 290, leaving England requiring 617 runs in the fourth innings to achieve victory. Patsy Hendren scored a century for the visitors, but no other batsman reached 50 runs, and with just four minutes of the match remaining, the West Indies secured their maiden Test win by 289 runs.
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